Aerating device for pulverulent material

ABSTRACT

As installed in multiple on downwardly convergent side wall portions of a pulverulent material storage or delivery bin, the device is an assembly, in a generally oblong shape and relatively shallow front-to-rear depth, of a stamped sheet metal body plate, a steel mesh and fabric laminate affording a diffusion screen of relatively flat, truncated pyramidal cross section, and a nipple unit providing an air discharge orifice centered in relation to the body plate, said unit extending through an aperture in the plate and communicating the aerator with a source of low pressure air. The nipple orifice is forwardly bridged within the screen component by a steel stamping which is spaced somewhat rearwardly of the latter and forwardly of the air orifice; and this part acts solely as an air flow deflector and diffuser baffle directly forward of the orifice sub-assembly. Deformation and damage to said screen and sub-assembly are positively prevented by a pair of like protective steel stiffener stampings of open frame-type outline, which parts are welded to the body plate at zones equally spaced on opposite sides of the orifice unit and come forward into bracing engagement with the screen as they transversely span substantial areas of the latter at said zones.

United States Patent [191 Reiter Aug. 13, 1974 4] AERATING DEVICE FOR PULVERULENT MATERIAL [52] US. Cl 239/288.5, 222/195, 302/52 [51] Int. Cl B05b 1/00 [58] Field of Search 302/52, 53; 222/195;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1954 Schemm 222/195 12/1960 Knutsen 222/195 10/1964 Anderson 'et al. 302/53 Primary Examiner-Robert S. Ward, Jr.

Assistant Examinr.lohn J. Love Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Whittemore, l-lulbert & Belknap [57] ABSTRACT As installed in multiple on downwardly convergent side wall portions of a pulverulent material storage or delivery bin, the device is an assembly, in a generally oblong shape and relatively shallow front-to-rear depth, of a stamped sheet metal body plate, a steel mesh and fabric laminate affording a diffusion screen of relatively flat, truncated pyramidal cross section, and a nipple unit. providing an air discharge orifice centered in relation to the body plate, said unit extending through an aperture in the plate and communicating the aerator with a source of low pressure air. The nipple orifice is forwardly bridged within the screen component by a steel stamping which is spaced somewhat rearwardly of the latter and forwardly of the air orifice; and this part acts solely as an air flow deflector and diffuser baffle directly forward of the orifice sub-assembly. Deformation and damage to said screen and sub-assembly are positively prevented by a pair of like protective steel stiffener stampings of open frame-type outline, which parts are welded to the body plate at zones equally spaced on opposite sides of the orifice unit and come forward into bracing engagement with the screen as they transversely span substantial areas of the latter at said zones.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures AERATING DEVICE FOR PULVERULENT MATERIAL CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS aerator units generally similar to that of the present improvement are employed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The aerator of the invention finds wide application in providing and insuring a non-clogged gravitational flow of many types of dry, finely ground material for discharge from a storage or like bin. Typically, the unit as thus installed will handle bin contents of lime or cement, carbon black, diatomaceous earth,'many different chemicals, fly ash, cereals, etc.

2. Description of the Prior Art The most pertinent disclosure of which I am aware is the US. Pat. to Schemm, No.- 2,665,035 of Jan. 5, 195 4; and it is in eliminating a serious drawback of that patents aerating device that the invention improves greatly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The improvement, although one on a generally known type of aerator, insures against the possibility of the aerator being either crushed, hence rendered substantially useless at an early age, as by a heavy head of bin material, or more commonly due to being accidentally or intentionally stepped on by an attendant cleaning or otherwise servicing the interior of the bin.

Thus, there is no possibility pursuant to such event of a maldistribution or partial or total stoppage of the flow of air intended to promote a free non-clogged discharge of the material from the bin, as would be the case in the event several aerators concentrated at more or less localized areas of the bin wall structure became damaged in the manner referred to. Using aerators pursuant to the invention, air is uniformly introduced about the bin into the pulverulent product, maintaining and insuring the latters natural ability to flow freely without congestion, bridging or rat-holing.

Structurally considered and perhaps more importantly, the aerator improvement of the invention affords multiple bracing and reinforcement of the diffuser mesh structure directly exposed to pressure or impact, so that the fragile orifice area, although to a secondary extent somewhat protected by the diffusion baffle or bridge, will rarely if ever receive anything approaching even a partially damaging impact.

The bracing structure is simple in the extreme, consisting of a pair of identical steel stampings of U-shaped cross section which are spot-welded at their legs to the face of the aerator's body or backing plate. Spanning arms which integrally bridge corresponding leg pairs are well spaced laterally from one another, thus affording an open frame-like brace feature almost totally non-obstructive to the flow and diffusion of air within and from the improved aerator. Needless to say, the productioncost of the latter is only insignificantly more than that of a device lacking the improvement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic vertically sectioned view of a storage bin filled with pulverulent material, on the walls of which bin a multiplicity of aerators according to the improvement are installed, the view also indicating typical air flow circuitry connected between a low pressure compressor and manifolding to the aerators;

FIG. 2 is a face view of the aerator;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the device as partially broken away and in vertical section on a center line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the aerator in somewhat larger scale, being partially broken away to reveal internal components of the improvement.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 schematically shows a large storage or like bin B containing pulverulent material M to be aerated, which bin is defined by a tapered wall structure W con verging to an open bottom discharge throat, the structure being optionally either frusto-conical or frustopyramidal in section. Multiple aerators in accordance with the invention, each generally designated by the reference numeral 10, are fixedly installed in a regular spaced pattern relationship to one another; but it is to beunderstood that if in any particular bin structure there is any localized tendency for the material to hang up in flow, a locally concentrated installation of units 10 may be required.

Bin B is typically serviced with air by a motorcompressor unit 12 and a circuit including manifold piping l3 externally paralleling the slope of the bin wall W, which manifolding is kept under low air pressure by a circuit supply line 14 from compressor unit 12. Individual fittings 15, one for each aerator 10, take off from the manifold lines 13 to supply the aerators. These fittings are special brass tank nipples, being similarly numbered 15 in designation in FIGS. 3 and 4, which more particularly illustrate the improvement.

As shown therein, the aerator 10 comprises a generally flat backing or body plate 16, typically of cadmium plated steel, which is stamped to provide a forwardly offset circular indentation 17. This formation is centrally apertured to receive an internally threaded collar or bushing part 18, the part being secured in fixed centered relation within indentation 17, as by welding; and said collar threadedly receivesthe orifice end 19 of the brass nipple 15. This end projects well forwardly of formation 17, but terminates in rearwardly spaced relation to the forward mesh diffusion screen, generally designated 20, of the aerator. Upon a full threaded forward taking up of nipple 15 in the collar 18, the shank of the nipple is outwardly inserted through a 7/16" hole drilled in bin wall W, rubber gasketing 21 is applied thereto, along with spacer washers 22, and a brass lock nut 23 on the nipple tightly secures the air line to the aerator base plate 16 and the bin wall.

The mesh fabric diffusing screen or cover 20 may be a laminated combination of inner and outer steel screen layers in which a suitable diffuser layer of cotton of fiberglass is sandwiched. Details are not shown since they are no part of the invention. The screen, body plate and orifice assembly is completed by flanging plate 16 forwardly at 25 about correspondingly shaped flange means of the screen 20 As best appears in FIG. 4, a stamped steel air diffuser and baffle bridge 26 of generally inverted U-shape is spot-welded, as at 90 outwardly offset feet 27 thereof, to the forward surface of body plate 16, the baffle 26 disseminating or distributing airflow in the interior of the aerator. Note should be particularly taken that, as shown in FIG. 3, the diffuser baffle 26 lies somewhat to the rear of screen 20 and somewhat forwardly oftorifice 19, hence does not dam or block the volume of air flow from the latter and through the former. Baffle 26 incidentally affords a secondary or supplemental degree of mechanical bracing for the screen 20 in the event the latter is strongly enough struck at its center to dent it toward the orifice 19; and to the same end, bridge 26 is shown as stamped and bent to provide a pair of rearwardly directed side tabs 28, which might abut under pressure against the forward surface of the center stamped formation 17 of plate 16.

As noted above, it has occurred many times that service workmen will either inadvertently step on the aerator or intentionally use the latter as a sort of ladder rung, with extremely damaging result. For one thing, the bridging baffle 26 may well be grossly distorted to an extent to crush its brace tabs 28 or, indeed, the entire baffle unit onto the orifice 19. Flow of air from the latter may be much impeded or completely shut off at the outset; in any event, an even air distribution within the interior of the screen as a whole is canceled. The same result in effect takes place if the impact is centered at or localized offcenter of the orifice point, causing a partial or complete collapse of the screening into actual engagement with body or backing plate 16. In either event the aerator is effectively disabled as regards full capacity and efficiency of operation.

Therefore, the invention contemplates the use, at points spaced equally oppositely of the zone of the orifice and baffle, of a pair of identical bracing or stiffenening brackets, generally designated 30. These are steel stampings each shaped, as best shown in FIG. 4, to provide a pair of parallel, transversely spaced arm spans 31 having 90 rearward offset legs 32 integrally joined to bent ears 33, at which the brace bracket 30 is spotwelded to the forward surface of the body plate 16. The dimensioning is such that the span arms or parts are located forwardly in direct bracing engagement with the rear of the screen unit 20, so that if, perforce, the latter is impacted, either locally at the noncenter zones or centrally, the likelihood of crushing damage is eliminated. As indicated above, the open frame brackets 30 do not inhibit a free distributional flow of air within and in discharging from aerator; and any added cost entailed in obtaining the multiple bracing effect is minimal, being far disproportionate as compared to the beneficial attendant results.

What is claimed is:

1. An aerator device adapted for aerating a pulverulent material comprising an elongated imperforate flat body plate having a longitudinal axis, said body plate having a centrally located opening therein in which is provided an air supply orifice communicating therethrough with a chamber forwardly thereof, a mesh-type cover mounted on said body plate and forwardly enclosing said chamber, said body plate having its peripheral edge turned over the peripheral edge of said meshtype cover to clamp said body plate and said cover together and thereby seal the peripheral edges thereof, a diffuser bridge positioned in said chamber opposite and spaced from said air supply orifice and between said air supply orifice and said cover, said diffuser bridge extending along said longitudinal axis and including a pair of bridge legs at opposite ends therof which are secured to said body plate, said diffuser bridge also serving as a support for said cover to maintain the same spaced from said body plate, a pair of stiffening brackets extending across said body plate in a transverse direction with respect to said axis, one stiffening bracket being located at each end portion of said body plate and being spaced from said diffuser bridge and from said air supply orifice, said stiffening brackets extending forwardly of said body plate for bracing engagement with said cover to prevent crushing distortion of said cover under external impact or load, each of said stiffening brackets being of an open frame nature and comprising a pair of parallel and spaced apart arms extending transversely of said axis and lying in a plane parallel to and spaced from said base, the opposite ends of said arms being provided with integral and spaced apart legs arranged generally perpendicular to said arms and extending towards said body plate, the corresponding legs of each pair of arms beingconnected by an integral ear arranged generally perpendicular thereto and parallel to said arms, said ears abutting said body plate and being secured thereto, the spaces between said arms and said legs being in open communication with-said chamber thereby permitting a free distribution of the flow. of air through said stiffening brackets.

2. The aerator device defined in claim 1, in which said diffuser bridge and said stiffening brackets are sheet metal stampings having said bridge legs and said ears respectively welded to said body plate. 

1. An aerator device adapted for aerating a pulverulent material comprising an elongated imperforate flat body plate having a longitudinal axis, said body plate having a centrally located opening therein in which is provided an air supply orifice communicating therethrough with a chamber forwardly thereof, a mesh-type cover mounted on said body plate and forwardly enclosing said chamber, said body plate having its peripheral edge turned over the peripheral edge of said mesh-type cover to clamp said body plate and said cover together and thereby seal the peripheral edges thereof, a diffuser bridge positioned in said chamber opposite and spaced from said air supply orifice and between said air supply orifice and said cover, said diffuser bridge extending along said longitudinal axis and including a pair of bRidge legs at opposite ends therof which are secured to said body plate, said diffuser bridge also serving as a support for said cover to maintain the same spaced from said body plate, a pair of stiffening brackets extending across said body plate in a transverse direction with respect to said axis, one stiffening bracket being located at each end portion of said body plate and being spaced from said diffuser bridge and from said air supply orifice, said stiffening brackets extending forwardly of said body plate for bracing engagement with said cover to prevent crushing distortion of said cover under external impact or load, each of said stiffening brackets being of an open frame nature and comprising a pair of parallel and spaced apart arms extending transversely of said axis and lying in a plane parallel to and spaced from said base, the opposite ends of said arms being provided with integral and spaced apart legs arranged generally perpendicular to said arms and extending towards said body plate, the corresponding legs of each pair of arms being connected by an integral ear arranged generally perpendicular thereto and parallel to said arms, said ears abutting said body plate and being secured thereto, the spaces between said arms and said legs being in open communication with said chamber thereby permitting a free distribution of the flow of air through said stiffening brackets.
 2. The aerator device defined in claim 1, in which said diffuser bridge and said stiffening brackets are sheet metal stampings having said bridge legs and said ears respectively welded to said body plate. 